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Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba (MK) Movement national vice-chairperson (Central Region) Frank Gashumba has rebuked National Unity Platform (NUP) party leaders for allegedly propagating hate speech and sectarian talk. 

The talk according to Gashumnba is among the Baganda directed at Banyarwanda and Banyankore tribes in Uganda.

Gashumba in his response to the hate speech that was allegedly uttered by NUP party president Robert Kyagulanyi during a recently concluded countrywide mobilisation tour in Luwero district, asked security agencies to intervene and arrest suspects.

Among those Gashumba wants arrested is Kyagulanyi, Nakaseke South Member of Parliament Paul Luttamaguzi, Kakuto County legislator Geoffrey Lutaaya and the Mawokota North MP Hillary Kiyaga aka Dr Hilderman.

While addressing the media on Tuesday at Luweero Hotel in Luwero district, Gashumba attacked musician turned politician Kiyaga for referring to the Banyarwanda tribe as fleas in his song, Enkukunyi.

“We cannot stand idle as the above advocates for genocide continue with their genocidal agenda. We, therefore, hereby remind Uganda Police and all other security agencies that Uganda is a signatory to the international convention for preventing genocide,” Gashumba said.

Gashumba lashed out at Kyagulanyi saying hate speech is a cheap tool used by incompetent politicians to hoodwink the minds of gullible people.

"Uganda Police should never let such criminals enjoy impunity which has the potential to plunge our country into turmoil, anarchy and ethnic cleansing and they should serve as a clear warning to those promoting tribal hatred," he added.

It should be noted that in Rwanda, while the perpetrators of genocide referred to the Tutsi tribe as cockroaches, Kiyaga allegedly used the analogy of fleas (enkukunyi) to suggestively refer to Banyarwanda.

National Resistance Movement (NRM) party secretary for Luwero district Rebecca Nalwanga condemned comedians for spreading tribalism through their skits which according to her the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) needs to address.

“These are serious issues to address especially here in Buganda. The Rwandan genocide perpetrators started brainwashing the Hutu population that Tutsi tribes were foreigners who caused all the problems Rwanda faced in 1994,” she said.

We challenge, dispel and dismiss such dangerous tribal profiling that is totally unresearched, devoid of evidence with the potential to cause genocide in the country, Nalwanga argued.

Idle talk

When Luttamaguzi was contacted to comment on the allegations, he dismissed the claims as idle talk with baseless accusations.

“There is nothing we say as hate speech because when there is injustice in society, it must be talked about not in bad faith, but in a way to condemn it from happening again and again,” he said.

Peculiar local problems

When NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi (Nakawa West MP) was contacted to comment on the conduct of the party officials regarding the matter, his known phone number could not be reached by press time.

However, Ssenyonyi had early this month told the media that Kyagulanyi was speaking about the peculiar local problems that were of interest only to the area of Luwero.

What CID says

New Vision of September 11, 2023, quoted Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) director Tom Magambo as saying that such statements Kyagulanyi made normally attract the attention of any investigative body.

“And once the facts are gathered and analysed by our team, the opinion of the Director of Public Prosecutions would be sought to guide in any further action within our legal system. We don’t want to go down the path of tribalism and hate speech as a country,” he said.

Among the members present at Gashumba's briefing was Abdul Bosa Swamadu from Nakasongola district, Henry Kabanda also on the MK Central Region team.